Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Remote Learning: Laptops and Other Devices

Monday 18 January 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department invested over 400 million to provide 1.3 million laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children for remote learning.
  • The funding mechanism for nurseries was revised due to the pandemic's changing course to ensure continued support.
  • Over 2.9 million devices are already in circulation within schools, with an additional 1.3 million devices dispatched, including about 20,000 daily over the last two weeks.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bob Seely Con
Education
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of limited remote learning resources on disadvantaged students due to the pandemic. He references specific funding initiatives aimed at providing laptops and tablets but seeks an evaluation of their effectiveness.

Question

What assessment has the Department made of the roll-out of laptops and other devices to disadvantaged pupils for remote learning during the COVID-19 outbreak?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

We are investing over £400 million to support access to remote education, including by providing 1.3 million laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children. We are partnering with leading mobile operators to provide free data and deliver 4G wireless routers for pupils without a home connection.

Answered
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Q2 Paul Howell
Economy Children & Families
Context

The MP is concerned about Wingate Community Nursery School's potential financial difficulties due to recent changes in funding process. The changes see nurseries receiving funding per hour based on attendance, which may be challenging for parents who are hesitant to send their children due to safety concerns or other reasons.

Question

Wingate Community Nursery has continued providing education despite the pandemic but may face financial issues due to a change in funding process. Will the Secretary of State review these changes and confirm they won't negatively impact nurseries financially?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

I would like to thank the staff at Wingate for their work. The funding mechanism was revised due to the pandemic's changing course, ensuring nurseries get support. We have changed the approach for this week's census.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific financial impact of changes to the early years education funding process on nurseries is not addressed.

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Q3 Rob Roberts
Education Wales
Context

The MP identifies significant cuts to education funding in Wales over the past decade and highlights ongoing issues with remote learning device availability. He seeks advice on assisting young learners who are struggling due to these inadequacies.

Question

What advice can be given to assist young learners in my constituency, affected by a real-terms reduction of 8.4% in Welsh education spending over ten years and the lack of remote learning devices?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

We will work closely with all devolved Administrations. The Welsh Government is holding £1 billion of UK Government-provided covid funding which should be spent wisely to support children across Wales.

Not addressed: The specific advice requested for aiding young learners in the constituency was not provided.

How: Working Closely With Devolved Administrations, Spending Of Uk Government-Provided Funding

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Q4 Daniel Zeichner Lab Cambridge
Education
Context

The MP is concerned about a significant number of children without suitable devices for remote learning, affecting over 6,500 across the county. He questions why this issue has not been resolved despite having almost a year to address it.

Question

In Cambridge last week, 1,748 children lacked suitable devices for learning; in total, nearly 6,500 were affected. Given almost a year to resolve this, when will every child have access to the necessary remote learning resources?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

Over 2.9 million devices are already in circulation within schools, supplemented by an additional 1.3 million of which 750,000 have been dispatched; over the last two weeks, we dispatch about 20,000 devices daily.

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Q5 Bob Seely Con
Education Children & Families
Context

The MP appreciates the work done by teachers and acknowledges their efforts to keep education going. He seeks further information about additional support planned for children in need on the Isle of Wight and measures to ensure adequate virtual learning across all schools.

Question

Thanking Ministers, education officers, and especially teachers on the Isle of Wight for keeping education ongoing during challenging times, can the Secretary of State explain what further support is being planned for disadvantaged children there and how we ensure sufficient virtual learning?

Answer from Gavin Williamson

Joining my hon. Friend in thanking teachers and staff, we have increased device procurement from 200,000 to 1.3 million devices and set out expectations for remote education provision during these unprecedented times.

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